Friars start hot, skate past Carroll

HAVERFORD – It’s not what it was last year and it probably won’t be able to rack up the wins it did in the 2011-12 season, but Archbishop Carroll is better off the way it is than the way it was.

A season ago, the Patriots ruled the now-defunct Flight A of the ICSHL Tri-County Division. Carroll easily rolled to a title and was rarely challenged until it dropped an overtime decision to Lansdale Catholic in the Flyers Cup A bracket quarterfinal.

But that wasn’t good enough for Father Ed Casey, the school’s president who oversees the team. He wanted something more challenging for his team. Something that would make them earn whatever they got instead of just being able to take what they desired with ease. So Casey requested a move to Class AAA, the best division in the ICSHL.

Early results, like a 6-2 loss at the hands of perennial AAA power Malvern Prep Thursday night at the Skatium and previous lopsided losses to defending Flyers Cup champion La Salle and St. Joseph’s Prep, might indicate that it was a mistake.

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It wasn’t. While the Patriots are learning what it’s like to be the low man on the totem pole instead of the overwhelming favorites, it will pay off in the long run. The speed, skill and pace of the game that Carroll dealt with last year aren’t remotely close to what the Patriots face in AAA, and it’s those types of changes that the Patriots have to adapt to.

“...The speed’s definitely picked up and we’re starting to adjust to it a lot better,” said Shane Yaller, who laid a clean but devastating open-ice hit on a Friar crossing the ice. “Every game, I think we’ve taken another step up. We’re down a couple men now, but that doesn’t make a difference. We’ve got to pick up the speed and the puck movement’s got to get better.”

That will come in time for a depleted Carroll team that’s missing Chip Byrne – out six to eight weeks with a torn MCL – and Patrick Parker – out for the year with a broken clavicle – but it’s the defensive play that will have to pick up the most. Goalie T.J. Luskin was left out to dry on too many occasions by the Patriots’ defensive lapses, and while the sophomore stopped 37 of the 43 shots fired his way, it was tough for him to get a handle on everything. That was compounded by the fact that the Friars got goals from William Kay and Doug Hook 18 seconds apart just 39 seconds into the game.

“It’s been different,” said the subdued Luskin. “The whole game’s a lot quicker. I let up weak goals. That’s not (the defense’s) fault.”

It might take some time, but the Patriots will figure things out. The Friars, though, seem to have figured things out. Well, offensively at least. They’ve scored six goals in each of their three games this year, though giving up nine to West Chester Henderson canceled out any good vibes the offense put forth. But after wins over Cardinal O’Hara and Carroll, Malvern Prep seems to be rounding into form as one of the teams that might actually be able to contend with mighty La Salle. This year’s edition of the Friars isn’t likely to conjure up any memories of the dynasty that won five straight Flyers Cups from 2001 to 2005, but it just might be good enough to make it back to the title game after a one-year sabbatical.

“I think we’ve got a lot of offensive talent this year,” said Kevin McGeary, a Penn lacrosse commit who scored twice and set up another against the Patriots. “...We just need to work on the defense and we should be able to put some games together. “Last season was definitely a disappointment. We were in the Flyers Cup (final) two years before that and we expect to get back there this year.”